DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The crush and stampede last month outside of Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca killed at least 1,453 people during the hajj, a new tally showed on Friday to make it the deadliest event to ever strike the annual pilgrimage.

The Associated Press count is 684 higher than Saudi Arabia's official tally of 769 killed and 934 injured in the Sept. 24 disaster in Mina.

Saudi officials, who could not be immediately reached for comment Friday, previously have said their tally remains accurate, though an investigation into the causes of the tragedy is ongoing. Authorities have not updated their casualty toll since Sept. 26, two days after the disaster.

The previous deadliest-ever incident happened in 1990, when a stampede killed 1,426 people.


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